Scottish photonics breakthrough opens new possibilities for quantum and medical technologies

A new research breakthrough from Heriot-Watt University is highlighting the strength of Scotland’s photonics capability and its relevance to next-generation quantum technologies.

Published in Nature Photonics, the study demonstrates a world-first method of using light to control every aspect of how electromagnetic waves oscillate. The work addresses a long-standing challenge in photonics by achieving control of light that is both fast and strong enough to be useful in real systems.

The research focuses on the control of light polarisation, a property that plays an important role in how light interacts with materials and in the performance of technologies including drug development and quantum computing. According to Heriot-Watt University, the breakthrough opens up new possibilities for future medical tools and next-generation quantum technologies that had previously been limited by this challenge.

To achieve this, researchers used an ultra-thin transparent film made from aluminium zinc oxide. By applying a precisely engineered burst of light lasting less than a trillionth of a second, the team was able to shape the behaviour of a second pulse of light passing through the material. The result was a level of optical control achieved using only light, with no electronics or moving parts.

Heriot-Watt says the method works at speeds around 10,000 times faster than state-of-the-art electronics, with effects around 100,000 times stronger than previously recorded. The breakthrough marks another milestone in the emerging field of time-varying photonics.

The implications extend well beyond fundamental research. The university highlights potential applications in medicine, where polarised light is used to distinguish between mirror-image molecules, and in quantum technologies, where information can be encoded in the polarisation of light. This could support faster and more flexible quantum communication systems, including highly secure data transmission.

The study was led by researchers from Heriot-Watt University’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences in Edinburgh, working with international partners at Purdue University, the University of Brescia and the University of L’Aquila. The experimental work was carried out in Edinburgh and supported by funding from EPSRC, STFC and AFOSR.

This is a strong example of the interconnected strengths within Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster. It highlights the continued importance of photonics as a foundational capability, while also showing its relevance to adjacent fields including quantum and secure communications.